The present invention relates to a rotary pelletizing machine. More particularly, it relates to a rotary pelletizing machine which has a matrix disc driven by a drive shaft and rotatably supported in a housing, with upper and lower punches which are guided in the matrix disc and controlled during rotation of the matrix disc by stationary cams provided with holders.
Rotary pelletizing machines of the above-mentioned general type are known in the art. For an effective utilization of pelletizing presses, it is necessary to design them so that the time which is required both for a re-equipping of a machine for subsequent production of pellets of a different type, as well as for cleaning of individual machine parts for conversion to a different pelletizing material be maintained as short as possible in relationship to the time of the operation of the pelletizing press or the production time. It has been considered as advantageous to produce pellets of a predetermined type over a long time for example 5 days and then to clean the machine over several hours without performing any production, for a subsequent processing of the different pelletizing material or to re-equip the machine for a subsequent production of bigger or smaller pellets with a different pressure.
Increasing output capacity of pelletizing presses, the requirement of short storage of press material, as well as increased requirement as to the cleanness of pellets by medical legislative authorities lead generally to constantly reducing batch sizes, or in other words, time within which pellets of one type are produced.
For reducing the time which is required for re-equipping of the machine, for example with another punch spacing or another punch print, and for cleaning of individual parts for an exchange of pelletizing material to be pressed, many considerations must be taken care of for a partial exchange of the machine. A known solution in this aspect is that the rotor or the matrix disc is exchangeable in a relatively simple manner. An exchange of the matrix disc is, however, possible in accordance with this solution only after a preceding dismounting of individual punches and their cam guides. A significant time saving which is required for effective production time is not obtained with this solution.